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Despite the excitement around the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is maintaining a calm demeanor about his prospects of claiming his maiden world title.

The British driver currently has a two-dozen point lead over fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and leads Max Verstappen by nearly fifty points, with only up to 83 points up for grabs across the remaining trio of races. However, after pulling off a remarkable recovery from 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris is focused on executing with the clinical precision that lifted him to the top of the standings.

"Things can easily go in the other direction once more even though I hope it doesn't," he stated. "That's racing, as we all know. Sometimes you get lucky. You can end up unlucky. No matter what happens. There's really no point becoming overjoyed or thinking about it. I still do see it as a goal that's quite far away."

The 26-year-old has found his best form at a crucial moment—after difficulties with the vehicle in the opening half of the season—at the same time that his teammate has lost the controlled, nearly flawless ease that had for so long made him seem to be a champion in waiting. Importantly, Norris kept a remarkable level of composure throughout, asserting even in the face of challenges—like his withdrawal from the Dutch GP—that he would stick to his gameplan and approach every outing with the same unwavering focus on specifics. It has paid off.

All the while, the team have worked hard to try to maintain a level playing field for their two drivers, and it has on occasion been a rather torturous experience, especially at the Italian Grand Prix when the team instructed Piastri to surrender second place to Norris following he had fallen behind due to a delayed tire change. Some fans did not take well to what was considered the team unnecessarily interfering with their drivers.

The championship leader has won the previous pair of races, in Mexico City and São Paulo, and was booed on the podium at both, leaving him unmoved. "When you're leading, a lot of people try to undermine you. They do not like seeing you succeeding. I see it as a positive sign," he remarked.

"It amuses me. While standing on the podium in Interlagos, I truly loved it. It was very enjoyable. You finally feel like you're doing something right.

"It doesn't bother me, provided that I come out on top. If I feel like I'm doing it the right way, and I think that's the case, so long as I am confident I'm putting effort into being who I am and those kinds of things, then I'm not too fussed about external opinions."

Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be mastered, and it is a circuit suited to the British team. The layout has similarities with Montreal and Azerbaijan: low downforce, chilly conditions, and low grip. They are the only two tracks this season where McLaren have failed to claim at least one top-three finish, and the leader was circumspect once more about their prospects in Nevada. Yet, his objective in the short term is simple: finish in ahead of Piastri and the championship tally he needs will follow.

Friday Running Shows Varied Outcomes for Championship Rivals

Charles Leclerc topped the times in first practice on what was remained a dusty and very low-grip surface. Alex Albon was runner-up, with Verstappen in fourth, the McLaren ace in P6, and Piastri in eighth. In the more representative night running of FP2, the Briton was quickest ahead of the Mercedes of the Italian rookie, with his teammate 14th; though, the practice was interrupted for nearly the last third of track time to check a reported loose manhole cover at the penultimate corner.

This problem is taken seriously on a street circuit where, at the first Nevada GP held in 2023, a dislodged drain cover struck the Ferrari, heavily damaging it and causing the practice to be ended.

Mercedes Confirm Stake Sale

The eight-time constructors' champions have revealed that their team principal the Austrian executive has sold a 15% stake in his investment firm, equating to a five percent ownership in the squad, to US tycoon George Kurtz. The investor is the CEO and founder of the digital protection firm the tech giant. Wolff will stay on as boss and could earn up to £230 million from the deal, with Mercedes having been valued at £4.57bn, a new high for an Formula 1 constructor.